By now you've probably heard it on the news, or someone has talked about the Professor who lost weight on the junk food diet. This little stunt Professor Haub has done has left me along with many trainers in an outrage.
I personally find it to be completely irresponsible when the country is fighting obesity and confused about what to eat already without throwing in a ridiculous and outlandish claim such as his. Please, if you walk away with anything from this article let it be to become an informed individual. The news stories you read or hear about may not be giving you all the facts; it is to sell papers or to get ratings. First let's break down what's really going on, shall we?
Mr. Haub followed an 1800 calorie diet for 10 weeks in which he lost 27 lbs. His diet consisted of two-thirds of junk food such as Doritos, Little Debbie snack cakes, and Twinkies. He also consumed protein shakes, some vegetables, and a daily multi vitamin. We also know that his good cholesterol (HDL) went up and his bad cholesterol (LDL) went down. But what is missing from this story?
1. The study never tells us how much of the weight loss was from fat and how much was from muscle loss. Weight loss is not all about just the scale, it is about body composition, you want to lose fat while maintaining muscle.
2. We also know how he was only active 60 minutes a WEEK, my guess is that any activity he did do would not have included any intensity. Basically by following an 1800 calorie diet, which is a very low caloric intake for a male; he would most likely not have the energy to sustain any type of intense activity and would most likely remain in a state of hunger.
Let's dissect his numbers:
1. You may wonder why his blood panel showed improvements while following a convenience store diet. Blood pressure and cholesterol are affected by weight loss they will almost always improve following weight loss. Genetics also play a factor on how your body breaks down and stores sugar. He may be a little genetically gifted in this area. (These results will not be the same for everyone, there are many factors to be taken into consideration here)
2. This experiment was conducted over a short term period only 10 weeks. What would the long term effects to his health be? The study doesn't provide this information. Truth is, when following a diet of daily junk food items, your health will decline as plaque attaches itself to your artery walls, your blood work will eventually show this and your energy levels will decline as well.
The pros of this experiment:
1. It does show that you can relax your diet some during the "weight loss" phase of your program. However, you must still stay within your daily calorie allowance, something I have preached for years. He followed a very low calorie plan, this is the bare minimum here! Packaged food is calorie dense which gives only short term satisfaction and usually leaves your body craving for more. The reason for his weight loss is based on (some) genetics and a low caloric intake. The less calories you eat then weight loss is evident. However, this is short term for extreme caloric intake and the importance is optimal health. The quality is what brings on vitality and long term health- let's Never forget that.
More words of thought... Don't believe everything you hear even if it comes from a professor. This man is doing no one any favors; he was simply on a low calorie DIET and indulging in food that I wouldn't put in my body for nothing. Yes, enjoy your favorite foods, in moderation but no one needs this type of junk in their daily diets. Remember, if two-thirds of your diet is coming from foods with ingredients you cannot pronounce, then you are only asking for trouble down the road.
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